My Extraordinary Kid

What makes your kid extraordinary isn't just the epic stuff. It’s the little things. The small moments that maybe only you see — and quietly celebrate every day.  Our best moments together are spent exploring.  He takes off down a trail with enthusiasm for what we'll find around the next bend...maybe a wild mushroom or even a waterfall. 

It's the little things like waking up extra early on a day off to go hike/trail run a trail with me before anyone else and being the only two people at the waterfall.  Then turning around, hiking back down and going over to the next trail for another hour+ of hiking & chatting.  It's the little things like how he'll lightly grab my hand and walk right next to me and isn't shy about holding his mom's hand on a hike.

Our time on the trails and the tennis court or golf course or on bikes or paddle boards isn't just about being active, it's about being close and developing our mother/son relationship.  By far, my favorite moment was when he went ahead on a trail and when I caught up, he had a heart shaped rock and sticks laid out for me to read:

I no longer have to ask him to keep up.  I'm the one keeping up.  

He's had his share of total wipe outs, close calls and perfect landings because he isn't afraid to push the limits.  Nothing keeps him down and it takes more than an encouraging mother to back him up, it also takes exceptional health care...just in case something goes awry.

Whether your visit is routine or rare, Stanford Children’s Health is committed to providing extraordinary care for healthier happy lives.  Check out the video I made for my kiddo.  This is just one of my two extraordinary kids.

Your kid is extraordinary. Show them how much you enjoy every moment together by creating a special video of your own!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Stair Landing Restyle

My stair landing had become a bit of an eyesore. A displaced bookcase made the space feel dark and heavy no matter how I tried to brighten/lighten the accents. Then I found a bookcase much more suited for the space and much better suited to my evolving style.

The old bookcase had served as a media console for a few years until I replaced it with a high-end media console early this Spring. When Sauder asked me to select a piece of furniture, my selection was easy. I knew as soon as I clicked to "view all collections" and saw the Barrister Lane Collection, I'd find something I'd love. My eyes went straight to the Barrister Lane bookcase in the Salt Oak finish. I really like how you can shop by space, product or collection. The ordering process was a snap and in only a few days, the bookcase had arrived at my front door. The communication from Customer Service was immediate and they kept me informed when the order was received and when it shipped (the following day!).

The bookcase came very well packaged with super sturdy corner protectors. I was very impressed...as were the kids, who used the sturdy corners as swords for a dual in the backyard while I got to work with the assembly.

All of the pieces were easy to identify and everything was in perfect condition.

The boards were clearly marked with letters and the instructions were easy to follow.

After placing the hardware, the pieces assembled pretty quickly and only involved tightening the cams.

I started around 8pm and finished just after 9pm...all by myself. After attaching the back piece, and standing the bookcase up, I was surprised how tall it is and how nice it looks. It doesn't look like a furniture piece you have to assemble. It is very sturdy.

I found the perfect spot to relocate the heavy bookcase. It slid right into place in my closet to hold my shoes! (Yes, I really do sort my hanging clothes by color).

Check out the befores and afters:

The 3 birds painting is very special to me as my first original art purchase, but I decided it was still heavy and dark, so I finally found a use for the 3 wood carved panels I bought well over a year ago and had yet to hang them anywhere. I hadn't even thought of hanging them in the stairway, but it is perfect for how tall the ceiling rises and looking down from the top of the stairs.

The Salt Oak finish is the exact same color of the laminate hardwood that I was looking at for my living and dining room. I'm used to the dark espresso or black finishes on most of my furniture and it seems to be a dust magnet. The Salt Oak finish hardly shows dust.

Find your style on Sauder.com.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sauder. The opinions and text are all mine.

Tie Dye your Summer!

This is a compensated post as part of a campaign with Blueprint Social and Tulip. All opinions are my own.

Are you ready to Tie Dye your Summer??  Need a fun project to occupy the kids?  Check out this box of Tulip One-Step Tie Dye products I received in the mail last week.  I've always heard that tie dying is so easy, but it seemed like more work than I wanted to tackle.  I was wrong!  Tie dying is a piece of cake and Tulip makes it even easier by providing all of the supplies you need in their One-Step Tie Dye Kits- the dye bottles all ready pre-filled with powdered dye, complete instructions with colorful photos and project/design details, rubber-bands, several pairs of plastic gloves and a large plastic sheet.

 Although it wasn't included in the steps, I pre-treated the shirts by soaking them in washing soda to hold the color.  Soak the shirts in the washing soda for 5-15minutes.  Wring out excess water.

 While the shirts soaked, I got all of the supplies ready.

 Fill the bottle to the line with warm water.

 It's smart to put the gloves on first.  I learned this after I already had a little red dye on my fingers.  Shake the bottle to dissolve the dye powder.

How to make a Spiral Rainbow tie dye design:  Spiral the t-shirt fabric by placing fork prongs on the shirt where you want the spiral to start and twisting the fork to pull the fabric into a spiral.  Secure with rubber bands (so it looks like 6 pieces of pie).  Add your red dye over one slice of the pie and repeat with each color- saving yellow for last.  Flip the shirt over and add each color dye on the backside.  Place the dyed t-shirt in a plastic bag and leave for 6-8 hours.  Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear.  Wash in hot water (separate from other clothes the first few washings).

How to make a USA Flag tie dye t-shirt:  Gather the fabric for the blue part of the flag and secure with a rubber-band (about middle of shoulder and just under the sleeve).  Wad up the sleeve and rubber-band.  Vertically accordion fold the remaining t-shirt fabric and rubber-band approximately every 2".  Add your blue dye to the shirt and then add the red dye every other section for the stripes.

 I didn't want the stripes to touch while it set for 6-8 hours, so I used plastic wrap to cover the shirt.  After 6-8 hours, remove plastic wrap, rinse in cold water until water runs clear, wash in hot water.

How to tie dye Colorado Flag t-shirt:  this is my favorite and one I contemplated for the entire day.  I wasn't sure how I was going to keep the white section white, but have the blue around the red C.  I think I came pretty close for completely winging it.  Location the part of the t-shirt where you want the yellow dot and gather a small circle of t-shirt to rubber-band.  Gather another circle below for the red C.  Scrunch the top of the shirt and bottom of the shirt and randomly rubber-band sections.  Leave the middle to have the band of white behind the C.  Add the yellow dye.  Add the red dye (if you look at the gathered circle like a clock going clockwise, add dye starting at 4o'clock and stop at 2 o'clock).  There was only a little bit of spreading.  Add light blue and dark blue dye to the top and bottom sections.  Cover in plastic for 6-8 hrs.  Rinse in cold until water runs clear.  Wash in hot (separate).

I was so excited when I uncovered and removed the rubber-bands and began to rinse!  Everyone who has seen this CO flag shirt wants one just like it.

How to horizontal tie dye shirt:  Accordion (vertically) fold the t-shirt and secure with rubber-bands every 2".  Rotate dye colors.  Flip and add dye to other side as well.  Place in plastic bag for 6-8hrs.  Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear. Wash in hot (separate from other fabrics).  I washed the rainbow spiral shirts and this striped shirt in one load and the two flag shirts in another load.

His two favorite team colors tie dyed together:  Colorado Rockies and Green Bay.

Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye is America's Favorite Tie Dye! It is easy to use. The colors are bright and bold. You don't have to worry about fading- the dyes are permanent and color-fast. The kids had a blast creating different designs and we're now getting started on refashioning the shirts to use as swim suit cover ups for the pool this summer. I can't get home fast enough from work to do 5 more shirts with the kids this evening.

Check out more project ideas at ilovetocreate. Follow ilovetocreate on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.

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Mod Podge Rocks! Wood Grain Peel & Stick Stencil

These two cookies put together have been on my mind for a while.  Amy from Mod Podge Rocks! sent me the darling wood grain stencil from part of her new line of stencils with Plaid & Mod Podge.  I had an entirely different craft picked out for use of this stencil, but I kept coming back to using it on a cookie.  These cookies were made for decoration purposes only.  I am uncertain if the stencil would be considered food-safe, however, I would personally eat the cookie without a second thought.

At first I thought I'd paint pale gray royal icing over the stencil for a little added texture.  I don't have an airbrush for cookies anyway.  Then I needed silver color spray for another project and this cookie design became simplified in a second.

 Shimmering silver food color spray.  Just place the stencil on top of the cookie.  The stencils have a peel and stick feature, which is great to use on a surface like glass or even wood, but it didn't stick so much that it would damage the royal icing surface of the cookie.

 Spray the food coloring:

 Remove the stencil.

I gently dabbed any excess food color spray between cookies, but I didn't wash the stencil until I was finished.  If you've used cardboard or cardstock stencils, you know the frustration of the stencil moving around.  The peel & stick feature is genius.  The color spray easily washed away and the stencil is good as new to use for the next project.

I love this time of year waking up in the morning and hearing the Spring birds chirping and singing away in the wetlands outside my bedroom window.  Makes me wake up with a smile.

The stencils are available at Michael's stores.  Aside from the ease of use and selection of patterns of these stencils, my favorite part is that I've followed Amy's blog Mod Podge Rocks! for a long time.  She is a talented & creative blogger who now has her own brand with Plaid.  Congratulations Amy!  Amy provided the stencil and all opinions are 100% my own.

Girl and Boy Valentine's Day Box with Apple Barrel Craft Paints

Thank you Apple Barrel Craft Paints for sponsoring this post. You can find these Apple Barrel Craft supplies at a Michaels near you! 

The Valentine's Day classroom party was always my favorite classroom party of the year when I was a kid.  My mom would return from the store with the big packs of Juicy Fruit gum and we'd get busy taping an individual stick of gum to each Valentine.  Do your kids decorate their own Valentine's Day box at home?  If so, we're going to show you how to create a stand-out Girl and Boy Valentine receptacle with only a few inexpensive supplies from Apple Barrel Craft Paints.

Martha Stewart Decoupage

Thank you Martha Stewart Decoupage for sponsoring this post. You can find these Martha Stewart Craft supplies at a Michaels near you!  

I received this awesome box of Martha Stewart Decoupage supplies for a project of my choice.  I was probably the most excited about the two colors of wood stain.  I knew exactly what I'd make:  a wooden growth chart.  I've had a wooden growth chart in mind for my son's room, but I wanted to try out the pink wood stain first.

Supplies:  Martha Stewart Wood Stain, Martha Stewart Decoupage & Brushes, Martha Stewart Decoupage Paper Cut-Outs, 6' 1x6 piece of wood, soft cloth.

Whoa, the pink was a little brighter than expected.  This shade would not go with my daughter's room decor.

No worries...this piece of wood has two sides, so I applied the dark wood stain on the back of the wood and over the pink.  Hmmmm, not bad...

After patiently punching out all of the decoupage cut-outs, I cut the larger doilies in half and spaced the smaller doilies every 1 foot.

I really, really, really love the decoupage product.  I used the matte finish and it applied like satin.  The brush is also really amazing- soft bristles and spreads the product nice and evenly.  Apply a coat of decoupage to the front and back of the cut-out and smooth over the surface making sure to remove any air bubbles in the cut-out.

 I was impressed with the speed and ease of applying the cut-out doilies.

The large half circle doilies were placed on the opposite side of the board every foot starting at 6" (so the center of the doilie marked 6", 1'5", 2'5", 3'5", 4'5", 5'5").

The foam applicator I used for the dark wood stain was dry brushed over the top of the doilies for a slight antiquing.

Next, I hand painted numbers 1-5; marking off the 1' increments and then sanding them down and applying more dark wood stain for an aged look.  The entire board received another coat of matte decoupage.  Start-to-finish, this project took me 2 hours to complete.

I LOVE this new growth chart.  It doesn't go with my daughter's bedroom or my son's bedroom...but it does go with my bedroom.
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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of The Blueprint Social Media and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.  For more project ideas using Martha Stewart Decoupage, click the thumbnails below!

23andMe DNA testing kit

What if knowing was as easy as sending away for a $99 at home DNA test?  No doctor's appointments, no waiting rooms and you even have a choice to unlock certain results or keep them a mystery.

My twin sister was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 7 years ago.  After genetic testing at the doctor's office, she recommended that all immediate family members be tested as well.  I think the $500-$600 price tag and the fact that I certainly did not want a test telling me whether or not I had to avoid gluten for the rest of my life kept it on the back burner for...well, the past 7 years.

When I heard about 23andme's home DNA testing kit, I immediately singed up.  $99 for over 240 testing results (including Celiac Disease) was a no-brainer!  The test also includes ancestry results.

The kit arrived in the mail with easy instructions.  I registered the kit online and then spit in the tube to the fill line, closed the lid, and boxed it in the same packaging with the postage paid label.  It couldn't have been easier.

While waiting several weeks for the testing results, you can go back to your profile and provide more background information with easy survey questions.  23andme kept me well-informed on the status of the shipping, receiving and analysis of the test from start to finish.

There is even a 23andme app you can download to access your results.  I've probably overshared my testing results with family and close friends- highly recommending that they, too, find out their genetic risks, carrier status, traits & drug responses.  I firmly believe that we can make changes in lifestyle and eating habits armed with knowledge of our genetic risk factors to lessen our risk.

Certainly with some diseases such as Celiac, you either have it or don't.  Now I know.  I didn't even think of learning about some of the more serious diseases that showed up in the results.  Now I know those, too.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.